Knowledge is Power to Save Lives in Today’s Drug Epidemic

“We always say, ‘not my child’ are the three most dangerous words a parent can say,” says Juli Shamash, founder of the Drug Awareness Foundation. Shamash knows firsthand the result of having a child die from fentanyl poisoning. 

Her son, Tyler Shamash, died at age 19 after overdosing on the deadly drug. An intelligent child, Tyler adored his two siblings, was generous to a fault, was a whiz at fixing things, computer programming, and hacking. He began self-medicating to ease anxiety as a teenager and was soon in a battle with addiction. He was working towards sobriety, when he relapsed, consumed drugs that contained fentanyl, and died of an overdose in a sober living facility in 2018. 

Fentanyl is among the most potent opioids available. Roughly 100 times more potent than morphine. Opioids are behind the vast majority of adolescent overdose deaths in the U.S., according to the CDC. Many adolescents accidentally ingest fentanyl when they consume counterfeit pills or other illicit drugs poisoned with the drug. An amount the size of a head of a pin can be fatal. The unintentional use makes an overdose more likely.

“People may have heard of fentanyl because it’s on the news, but they don’t understand that if they’re buying what they think is a Xanax from social media, it’s not a real Xanax,” says Shamash. “It is counterfeit, made of filler and fentanyl – it just depends if it’s got enough in it to kill you or not.”

The Drug Awareness Foundation’s goal is that every person in the United States is empowered with the tools and knowledge to save lives – their own or someone else’s. The Foundation gives presentations to students at colleges, fraternities and sororities, high schools, medical schools, businesses, and community events about fentanyl and overdoses. Their bus ad and billboard campaign, “One Line, One Pill. Fentanyl Kills,” informs the local public about the dangers of the drug. They have a standing order from the state to distribute Naloxone, which can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose and save lives, and they educate and provide fentanyl testing strips to those who might need them.  

Shamash also advocates for more effective drug legislation. She helped pass Tyler’s Law (CA SB864), which went into effect in January 2023, and requires hospitals to add a fentanyl screening to the standard five-panel urine drug tests in California. The law was introduced with bipartisan support in the U.S. House and Senate in December 2023.

According to the DEA, fentanyl is the nation’s greatest and most urgent drug threat, so there is still critical work for the Drug Awareness Foundation to do.  

Shamash is dedicated to the task. She made a promise to herself after her son’s death shattered their family. 

“If you do nothing else, you need to get up, take a shower, and get dressed, because I knew if I didn’t do it for even one day…. There are moms who haven’t gotten out of pajamas in a year,” says Shamash, “So all of this is a reason for me to get out of bed, to think that his death isn’t in vain, and try to prevent other families from going through this.”